Hike #27: Toledo - I'm counting it!

No pictures. No stories. No details

All I can say is that I went to Toledo on a business trip and I hiked... for 3 days! Enough said. I did it - the Toledo Hike! On to the next one!

Hike # 26: Ponderosa Park

Lesson learned... don't get an 87 year old woman (who has not exercised since her double hip replacement) over confident about her "hiking" abilities... unless you are willing to meet her challenge! It was Sunday morning and Lilo (my mother-in-law) was raring to go.

"Where are we hiking today?", she asked.

OMG, I thought. Well, I actually had several thoughts, but this is the best I can express at the moment. I wanted to get in one more hike while in McCall, as I am woefully behind. But another Hike # 5?  Now don't get me wrong, I love my mother-in-law. I just wasn't so sure where I could take her.

I started questioning her about assorted necessities like... did she have adequate HIKING shoes?

"These are wonderful shoes," she replied. So I knew I was doomed. Now....where to go?

Hummm... how about Ponderosa State Park? Asphalt. Level roads. And check out her shoes!!! We had to do a hike that was compatible with her shoes! (But hey, doesn't she look darned great for her age! I should be so lucky!... but those shoes...)

Lilo and I started out on solid ground. We made our way to the Public Parking at Ponderosa State park. It was great, and we were the only ones there on a Sunday morning!

Yes, that's my car! The only one in the parking lot! So off we went... lovely view, short walk, and then back to the car. Now what? Well, I remembered Meadow Marsh Trail.

The first time I walked this trail (Hike # 18: Ponderosa Park, Meadow Marsh and Lily Marsh Trail), I saw a family with multiple generations walking the path. The women were attired in saris and  (as a CA girl would call) flip flops. The ages of the family members ranged from  about 3 years to 93 years, by my estimation. So, that is why I thought that  my mother-in-law's "hiking" loafers would be a perfect competitor for the sari ladies' flip flops. That is where we eventually landed: Meadow Marsh Trail. 

I turned on Endomondo and off we went... into the forest. OMG, she couldn't have been happier or more confident! We trespassed over Ponderosa Pine roots, rocks, and pine needle beds... but no matter the challenge, we met it with great GERMAN determination! Huffing, and puffing, and comments like "Don't stop because of me. You have to make your 60 hikes. 1.4 more miles is nothing..." made me wonder if I was doing the right thing.  I anxiously followed behind her... ready to catch a fall. But she was careful, calculating, and confident in her abilities. It really was an inspiration... I want to be so bold at 87 with two new hips~

But the weather was looming and we did choose to take the "road less traveled" shortcut and ended up walking 1.5 miles on this loop, in spite of what the state park map said. 

The lesson of this hike is... no matter your age, German determination matters! Hats off to you Lilo!

Hike # 25: McCall Parks

No pictures to document this hike... so you have to imagine it!

Have you ever been to Legacy Park in McCall?
What about Brown Park?
How about Paul's Market?
Ok... this is going to be tough to imagine if you have never been to downtown McCall!

Imagine this...I had just come home from the Louie Lake Hike. I thought it would take about 3 hours, total, but by the time we drove to the trail head, hiked to the lake and back, then drove home - it took much longer than expected.

All this to explain why we left my mother-in-law all alone at our cabin. Five or six hours later, we were greeted by an 87 year old woman with cabin fever. She was dressed in her proper hiking loafers (remember this from Hike # 5: Things Don't Always Go As Planned)?

"Are we going for a hike?", she asked with such hopeful enthusiasm, I couldn't disappoint her. After a short rest, and lots of pondering on the appropriate location, I said, "Let's hike Legacy Park!"

"Great!", she replied with her enthusiastic German accent. So, off we went - on what I will count as Hike # 25! You can Google the path - love Google Earth - to get a birds eye view.

It actually turned out to be about a 3 mile hike (walk - it all depends on your perspective)! We started off at the Farmer's Market parking lot. Walked the full perimeter of Legacy Park. Walked up to Brown's Park. Rested at the Marina. Walked to Paul's Market for a bottle of wine. Walked back to Farmer's Market and drove home. We were gone for more than 2 hours - that qualified as a hike to me ... and to my mother-in-law. She was so happy she had great walking shoes! I was happy we "hiked" on sidewalks!

Hike # 24: Louie Lake or Bust...

I finally made it! On Saturday, my husband and I hit the trail to Louie Lake!

The trail was steep, to say the least!

.81 miles up. For some that might not be a big deal, but for Mert and I ... it was heart pounding. This is what I imagine that training for hiking the Alps is like... lots of hikes to high Alpine Lakes like Louie.

The trip was worth it! Even though it was a gray and overcast day, the hike was made more tolerable by cool air, gentle breezes, conversation with my hubby, and a great hiking stick.

After stopping to take this picture... Mert disappeared. No word of where he was headed. No thought of the wife he left behind. No care in the world, except to fish! (I just read about this same fly fisherman's habit on Erik's Fly Fishing blog "Over the Hills" flyfishingboise.blogspot.com - guess it is a common phenomenon. And yes, it is rude!) Fly fishermen - you either love them or  want to smack them upside the head. 

In my case... it was both!

So, I went in search of Mert. I reasoned, "He couldn't have gone far. The entire lake was supposed to be walkable." I caught my composure, and realized that today was about my 24th hike. I figured that I'd find him along the way. 

(I wasn't too worried because our cell phones got 4g coverage up there. Not that he could access his cell phone, because it was in his back pack, which was on shore... ahhhh,

but this blog is not about being the wife of a fly fisherman, it is about hiking.)

After about a 1/4 mile hike, I rounded the bend and found a lone (highly satisfied) fly fisherman on the east side of the lake, tucked into a small bay. 

There he was... pulling in cut throat trout like they were coming for dinner.

"I have a great idea," said the fly fishing husband to his hiker wife, "Let's hike around the lake and I'll stop periodically to fish and you can take pictures of the fish I catch!" So that is what we did...

Besides the smile on his face, these were my favorite shots....

One more thing about being married to a fisherman... you can never be too sure if the stories they tell are... well, a bit enhanced for joy of storytelling. This is what I thought was the case when Mert shouted, "Cutbow!"

"What?", I asked.

"Cutbow! Look at how pretty it is! Look at these colors!" Mert could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

"Cutbow?", I thought my hearing was going. "What is a cutbow?"

"It's a hybrid... a cross between a cut throat and a rainbow trout."

And there it was. I am posting this picture to see if other fly fishermen feel that this is an actual fish. To me, the jury is still out. But if you know this to be a cutbow - I need to hear about it!

The day ended as it started... only it was downhill this time.

 .81 miles downhill, steep, toe nail screaming steep. But ohhhhh, it was so worth it!

Hike # 23: Wild Phlox and Valley View Trails

Today, I went back to Seaman's Gulch - the site of Hike #2. The great thing about the Boise Foothills, is that you can go to the same trail head, and not walk the same trail. I packed up my renewed enthusiasm and decided to hike the trails I missed the first time around.

 During the first Seaman's Gulch hike, my daughter explained the rules of "yielding". Today, I had a new appreciation for that hiking rule, and now understand it's limitations! Basically, if you are hiking downhill, you "yield" the person hiking uphill. This was always counter intuitive to me. The thought behind that rule is  that it takes more energy for the person going up hill to stop - so save that energy and keep walking. I always felt that it took more energy to stop when you are going downhill... but what do I know, I'm only a novice hiker learning the rules of the trail.Today, however, I'd like to expand on that rule.

This section of trail is available to horses, bikers, runners, hikers, and dogs (mostly off lease dogs). So here is the real deal. The slowest person "yields", and when two slow people meet each other, the downhill slow person yields to the slow uphill person. And this is how it goes...

Hikers "yield" to horses, bikers, and runners - regardless of direction - uphill, downhill, it doesn't matter, just get out of the way. Off lease dogs yield to no one!

 Parts of the trail are wide open, requiring no "yielding" at all... you only have to stay on your side of the trail. Parts of the trail are narrow, and surrounded on each side by sage brush, requiring minimal "yielding". Parts of the trail are so narrow and steep that only one hiker, horseback rider, runner, or dog could pass - hence, "yielding" is difficult and potentially dangerous. This is where things get interesting!

There is a "sweet spot" on the human body that dogs are drawn to, especially after unknown humans have been hiking for 2 miles or so. This spot isn't pleasantly fragrant to humans, but it is down right intoxicating to dogs - especially if they don't know you. Most dogs that go unleashed in the foothills are between 70-110 pounds. Mastiffs, chocolate labs, god-knows-what-mixes, you get the idea. When you stand 4'11" tall and an unleashed dog is nose height to the "sweet spot" - that is where things get  really interesting - especially if you are on the part of the trail that is steep, without a place to "yield".

Now as a former dog owner, I have to say that I love dogs - well behaved dogs. I met a few on this walk. Australian Shepherds mostly. Aussies don't seem to have the same distinguishing nose, nor are they driven by the same curiosity for strangers (some might say, lack of intelligence) that lab mixes are. So my "yielding" dilemma occurred on the part of the trail where I couldn't step or down, without avoiding falling off the trail.

So... running wild, with happy abandon, I met these two unleashed labs. One coming downhill and the other traveling uphill, with me in the middle. I stopped. Exchanged pleasantries like "Nice Doggie. Hi Buddy", held out my hand, etc. And there I stood, like bookends with one in front and one in back. Now these weren't mean dogs... just friendly, big, and checking out the nose-level spot for which they have been trained... I was trapped. I couldn't move off trail in any direction. Stuck... I had to wait for their owner because CLEARLY they weren't letting me "yield".

Here is my proposal...change the "yield" rules. Post the new rules at the trail head "Dogs must yield to humans. So train them properly!"

Where should I go this Sunday?

Ok - I am so motivated... where should I hike on Sunday? I've got the motivation, now I've got to move! I've got to get back on track and make September a "smoken hiken" month! I've got to seize the moment of motivation and make a plan! Louie Lake is next Tuesday. Don't you think I should be able to squeeze in a hike before that? Any suggestions?

Inspiration Prompts Hike

Every once in a while, you run across something that inspires you. That is what happened last Wednesday night. After a virtually hike-less August, I needed something to get me back on my feet with renewed motivation. So here is where I found it!

Erik's Fly Fishing Blog

Our friend, and my husband's fly fishing companion joined us for dinner after their day of fly fishing the Owyhee River.  Erik shared his exploits of hiking and fishing high mountain Alpine lakes. His passion and enthusiasm were infectious! He encouraged me to make the hike to Louie Lake, while my husband  and our neighbor fly fish the lake. If I wasn't sold before, I definitely was after I read Erik's blog about Louie Lake! I was so excited when I saw the pictures posted on his blog. If you are reading this, you have to click the link and check it out. Hurry before he posts something new, or look for the blog entry "Alpine Lake Fever."

So, my plan is to hike to Louie Lake next Tuesday! Wish me luck...

Hike # 22: Beyond The Gate

Along the Payette River, there are a number of lots for sale. This one boasts of 44+ acres with a 3/4 mile stretch of river frontage. I always thought I wanted land by a river. That dream was part of my fantasy life for most of my adult life. What made this hike so tempting was that for the first time in 10 years, this particular gate was open. For as long as we have owned our cabin, this gate normally had a foreboding "Private Property - No Trespassing" sign. Tending toward excessive rule following, I only walked past the closed gate when someone had ripped down the sign. Evidently, in our subdivision there has been a long standing feud between the land owner and the subdivision. Access to the river is considered a "right" in Idaho, and no "Private Property - No Trespassing" sign was going to detour the year round residents- so the sign often went missing. As a seasonal resident, I always stayed out when the sign was up, never venturing very far down the road unless someone chose to protect their property with the other Idaho "right" - guns.

But on September 1st, 2013, the gate was open, the "Private Property - No Trespassing" sign was replaced with a FOR SALE sign. Maybe this would be my dream property? The gate was open, so I decided to patrol the 44+ acres for my daring Hike # 22. I had been to the river, past this gate, maybe twice before in the last ten years. It was always a beautiful and peaceful sight - at least the small part that I was able to view.

The major difference between this hike and my previous visits, was that I was totally alone (with the exception of Ninny), treading on property that was once forbidden, and driven onward by my relentless curiosity about the property. I had a bit of an adrenaline rush for most of the hike. That rush kicked into high gear when I almost tripped over a snake trying to cross my path. From that point on, I keep my eyes on the road instead of the water. Unless taking a picture...

I have to admit that the 3/4 mile of river frontage was fabulous and well worth it! The property had one road, which forked after about a 1/4 mile. I took the right fork, which bordered the river. Once the road ended on the river front, I back tracked and took the left fork. This fork also lead to a dead end, but the walk was not as pleasant. I passed loads of slime covered ponds and felt a sticky humid feeling on my skin, which was only intensified by swatting at biting flies. The bulk of the 44+ acres were swampy, not easily developed, filled with mosquitoes and biting flies. I didn't see any real sign of wild life (except of course the snakes and insects). It was a memory maker and a deal breaker for a return hike - or a dream property.

As I headed back up the road, through the gate, I had spent about 54 minutes exploring most of  that 44+ acre property. It was truly a  mixed blessing, which I was glad that I didn't own. The next day, the gate was locked, the "No Trespassing" sign was up, and I had a sense of satisfaction that I knew what was behind the gate... and that I didn't want it.